For a Favor
by Tatesmshope
Summary: Itachi's losing control. How long can he keep Naruto and Sasuke apart? Alternate Universe with witchcraft, an OC, and suspected Leprechauns. [NaruSasuNaru] [ItaSasu][Possible other pairings down the road]
1. Not Sasuke

Disclaimers: Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto. I only own this fanfic.

I typically HATE OC's but this story was originally going to be for a different series and in that series the OC actually exists... I've wanted to get this out of my mind for soooo long that I'm writing it mostly for myself. I still hope you like it though!

This could possibly be considered as an Alternate universe because I'm lazy and it's hard to get all these facts straight. Flashbacks are in _italics_

Now be nice! Reviews are welcome, flames are not. -Tatem

Naruto glanced from his wrists to his ankles. As hard as he tried to concentrate on breaking the chains that were binding him, he had realized a few days previous that they weren't coming off. He wasn't sure if the shot he had been given when he had been captured was draining his chakra or if the chains had been made to stifle chakra, but whatever it was, it was effective. He stifled a groan as he heard the door to his pen open.

"Demon, stand up."

Naruto did as he was told, even flashing the guard his patented smile. He knew the guards were trying to break him, but he would not be broken. His skin was black and blue all over, cuts weeping blood in a few places and his hair was matted in clumps from all the "attention" he had received that first night. He may have been terrified of his captor but he was not going to give the guards the satisfaction of breaking him. If the guards were going to keep him bound and caged he was going to fight back with the only thing he had left: his bright spirits.

"Wipe that stupid smile off of your face you monster." The guard backhanded him hard and Naruto fell roughly back into the cell.

"Stand up." Naruto winced at the pain, but did as he was told. Once again he smiled brightly at the guard and once again he was knocked to the floor.

"I would love to play this game all afternoon, Demon, but you have an appointment with destiny, and Uchiha will have my head if you're late."

Naruto went pale. Seeing this made the guard laugh.

"Oh yes, he's back. He was unhappy he only got you your first night here, but more pressing matters came up. I don't guess he will be going back out to the field any time soon, so if I were you, I would give him what he wants."

Naruto didn't say anything more. His arms and legs were shaking. He tried to control his breathing and focus, but his mind was spinning with memories from a few nights before.

_Naruto peeked out under his blond lashes to try and get a feel for where he was. He couldn't remember much except that he had been on a dangerous mission accompanying a very important person from one place to another. He couldn't bring back any more than that. In snippets he saw Sasuke and Neji... an odd fog rolling in... yelling... screaming... blood... red eyes... he saw Neji fall... he saw Sasuke fall... he heard his name and a sharp order... and then nothing._

_He let his eyes flutter closed. He felt drained. As hard as he tried to stay alert he could not. He was so tired. Quickly sleep over took him. He woke when a soft hand reached beneath the sheets and gently caressed his chest. His mind still foggy he whispered_

_"Sasuke... stop. I'm tired. Tomorrow."_

_The hand continued and soft lips descended on his forehead._

_"Sasuke... I was having a bad dream, let me sleep."_

_Naruto felt Sasuke drag his fingers up his body and wrap into his blond hair. The grip tightened and suddenly Naruto's head was throbbing as his hair was seized at the scalp and pulled to the side bringing him eye to eye with his raven haired rival._

_"What the fuck! Sasuke you're..."_

_A look of clarity passed over Naruto's face._

_"Not Sasuke?" Itachi whispered softly into the blonde's ear even as the grip on the blond hair tightened._

_Naruto flinched backward but was unable to move more than an inch. He was tied to the bed posts._

_"Fuck. Fuck. What do you want Itachi?"_

_"..." Silence._

_Naruto silently cursed at the older Uchiha but spoke no more. He knew that Itachi was not one to give in to demands and decided to just stay aware and play this game until he could find Sasuke and escape._

_Sasuke... he had seen him fall... had he seen him rise? Neji too. He had seen him fall. Were they dead? Surely Itachi wouldn't have let Sasuke live so many times just to kill him now. He must be alive. He had to be alive. His breath left him._

_He looked up to see Itachi smirking. He must know what's going through my mind. Of course Itachi would know that his first concern would be for his friends._

_"Do you have a question for me?" Itachi said evenly. There was so little passion in his voice that it didn't even sound like a question. It was as if he had said "The sky is blue."_

_Naruto paused. "Would you tell me the truth?" he asked._

_Crimson eyes narrowed on blue and in a voice that could freeze blood Itachi whispered._

_"For a favor."_

Naruto bit his lip as he was roughly chained to the same bed as before. He was blindfolded now but Itachi was not in the room. That didn't mean Naruto felt at ease. Somewhere in this drafty castle both his friends were alive and to save them he would need to keep his wits about him. He had been in agony at the time, but he still knew what he had heard. Itachi had said that Sasuke and Neji were being kept alive to ensure Naruto's cooperation. Through moans and whimpers Naruto had tried to explain to Itachi that even if he wanted to cooperate with him he couldn't. Since he and the Kyubbi had merged he no longer had control of bringing him out. As far as Naruto knew he couldn't be brought out. Fist after fist, whip after whip, indignity after indignity and still Itachi wouldn't believe him.

"I'll beat it out of you, and if that doesn't work, I'll torture it out of you, and if that doesn't work I'll torture it out of your white-eyed friend and my brother." He said the last word as if the word brother meant flesh-eating virus. Apparently the hatred went both ways.

He heard the door open and footsteps slowly approached the bed. Naruto gagged. A fear he had never known was rearing its head and he shoved it back down into his stomach. Fear wasn't going to help him, but anger might. In every part of his being he felt around for hatred and bitterness. He thought about the villagers who made his life miserable with teasing, he thought about fallen comrades, and about a young boy who had seen his family slaughtered. A fire burned in his heart and with more power than he thought possible he shouted hoarsely.

"Fuck off Itachi. I already fucking told you I can't fucking release the Kyubbi. It's not possible you asshole! You're too late. You might as well kill us all because I can't give you want you want." His voice cracked. Fear and sadness were welling up in his throat. "I would if I could, but I can't."

Silence.

Naruto tightened his stomach and held his breath. He was sure he would be repaid violently for his insolence but he was determined to not cry out during the first attack. The night was going to be long but he would not give up hope.

"I might be able to help." came a soft voice from beside him. Delicate fingers reached behind his head and undid his blindfold. He squinted into the soft light of the room and as his eyes adjusted he recognized the dark orbs, the aristocratic features, but the hair was all wrong. Neither Itachi nor Sasuke had hair that fell below the waist.

"Sister, I see you've met your new charge." Itachi strode into the room, his dark cape fluttering dramatically.

"Sister?" Naruto whispered.

The last thing his eyes saw before the world went dark was a tiny hand sweep over his face, and the last thing he heard was the girl next to him whisper the word "sleep."


	2. Don't Break Him

I don't own any of these characters, but if you don't know that, why are you reading? ;)

Itachi crossed the room and sat down next to his sister. She was his age, but with her tiny size she looked more like Sasuke's twin than his own. Shit. Sasuke. Everything had happened so fast he hadn't had time to properly think through his plan. Now Mina was here and he was pulled between needing her help and making certain that she didn't find out about Sasuke. If she did, he would have to kill her, he was certain of that. Itachi checked to make certain his face would not betray his inner thoughts. He needed to stall. He needed time alone with Naruto.

He placed his hand on her lap and her eyes narrowed slightly. It's doubtful anyone else watching would have noticed, but to Itachi it was quite clear. The fight for dominance was never far from the surface of their relationship, but for now Mina knew her place. He had no doubt that she would try to kill him if he hadn't convinced her long ago that with his death, any hope of reviving the clan would die with him.

"I'm glad to see you Mina. You haven't read him yet, have you?" He asked in monotone. He fingered the small knife he had buried in a fold in his cloack. If she had, and Naruto had given up the wrong information, this would quickly come to a bloody end.

"No Itachi, I have not. You needn't bother with these pleasantries you know. If you weren't the only family I had left I would be happy to see you hanging from a tree limb, gutted like a rabbit."

Itachi's eye twitched. No one but his brother or sister could squeeze an emotion out of him, but he had to admit, when it came to his family, he did have a weakness. He grabbed Mina's wrist and held it tightly.

"When you have released the Kyubbi from this boy I will do as I said. You have my word. I will give you the child you want and the promise that you seek. I need some more time with him though. We have... unfinished business. You may take him in the morning."

Mina glanced down at the sleeping boy with golden hair. She felt a tug on her heart but ignored it. She had one goal in life and one goal only. Itachi must die. She could not afford to be distracted. The boy's chest rose and fell in the kind of slumber only a child or a man under a spell might hope for. Mina rose and walked slowly to the door, turning to say "Itachi, the more you hurt him the more into himself he will draw. Even without reading him I can feel a distance he is building within his mind. I imagine it will already take me weeks to accomplish what you desire. I do have a life and I would prefer to be back to it before I'm too old to enjoy myself. Don't break him." With that she left.

"Ice Bitch" he muttered under his breath. He was glad Naruto was asleep and did not witness the crack in his armor. Uchiha Itachi does not mutter. He waited a moment and then followed his sister out of the room. Naruto would have to wait.

Mina strode down the hall freezing anyone in her path with an icy glare. Being around Itachi made her twitchy. Being around this castle made her beyond twitchy. Her hands were shaking by the time she got to her room, and after she shut the door she sat on her bed pressing her forehead to the cool sheets. She wanted to scream, but if she showed too much emotion there was always a chance Itachi might catch on to her.

Mina breathed in deeply and then out. Again… and out… again… and out… calm…

'I'm fine… I'm fine… He doesn't know… I'm fine…'

Over and over again she chanted that mantra to herself. If Itachi ever realized how powerful she had become, if he figured out she could read a person's thoughts from across a room, he would never let her go, or worse, he might not let her live. She didn't dare try to read him.

'He would notice. It would be like the last time only worse.'

Her brave façade was cracking. Not for the first time, Mina wished she was able to fall asleep as easily as those she told to fall asleep. Her mind wondered back to the first time she had commanded someone to do something and they did it. She was 8 years old…

The door to Sasuke's room creaked open but Sasuke did not turn toward the door or look up from his book. Three times a day some servant would come scurrying in with food and place it on a table in the corner. He would ignore the food completely and continue reading the massive tome he had found under the bed. It was routine and he no longer tried to escape. His ankle was chained in a peculiar fashion and he had bloodied it trying to get at the first few servants who brought him his meals. He couldn't reach them and he bloody well wasn't going to do anyone any good if his foot was torn off. As far as he could tell his captor's intention was to bore him to death, and he figured if he didn't eat, and they didn't want him to die, they would come to him eventually and then he could make a plan from there.

"Still not eating, little brother?"

At the sound of Itachi's voice Sasuke practically fell out of the chair. He threw the only thing close, which happened to be the book, as hard as he could at his older brother. Itachi barely moved an inch and the book missed him completely.

"Eat."

Sasuke couldn't bring his mouth to form words. His head was spinning. He had been so stupid. He hadn't eaten in days and now that his sworn enemy was right in front of him he barely had enough strength to throw a book or to stand for that matter.

Itachi picked up the plate and took a few steps toward Sasuke. Sasuke eyed the bowl suspiciously.

"What would the fun be in poisoning you?"

If Sasuke didn't know better he would have sworn he caught tenseness in his brother's voice. He realized Itachi was right though, and that poisoning him would not be torturess enough to prove any fun. He hadn't planned on eating but seeing his brother was motivation to try and regain his lost strength. Itachi sat the bowl on the stand next to the chair and Sasuke quietly started to eat. He looked up to see his brother staring at him. For some reason it made Sasuke angry.

"Am I hot when I eat, Itachi?" Sasuke slurped a noodle seductively and then gave his brother the dirtiest look he could muster while half-choking on said noodle.

Itachi moved forward with amazing speed and turned Sasuke's face up by grabbing the hair on the back of his head.

"Don't disrespect me Sasuke. I'm still your elder. Father would not approve."

That's all it took to make the younger Uchiha snap. The bowl smashed to the ground, noodles flew high in to the air and Sasuke shot up out of the chair. He didn't have a chance to throw any punches though because Itachi had his hands pinned to the wall before he could clinch his fingers into a fist.

"Don't call him father! Bastard! You don't deserve to even remember him!" Sasuke was hysterical. He was struggling with all of his might to get free of Itachi's grasp but it was like he was 5 years old again. Itachi shoved him roughly to the floor and took a few steps back.

"You're weak. I told you hate would make you stronger, not anger. Until you get that under control you're of no use to anyone. You don't see it, but I've tried to help you. There are other emotions that can make a person strong, you know. Jealousy for one. There's a blonde haired boy about your age waiting for me in my bed. How does that make you feel?"

Sasuke calmed down immediately and narrowed his eyes in much the way his sister had done earlier. Itachi didn't fail to notice.

"Fuck you Itachi."

"He was talking to you in his sleep the other night. Do you share a bed often?"

Sasuke's cheeks started to burn.

"Fuck OFF!"

"I think I just might. Sleep well." And with that he walked out of the room.

Sasuke stared at the door, angry, confused and jealous.

As Itachi walked back toward his room he inwardly groaned. Regardless of what he had said to his younger brother, he had little to no desire to deal with Naruto right now.

'Even bad guys need to sleep.'

He'd heard someone say that once and it had always stuck with him. As he walked he thought about Sasuke crying on the floor. He didn't like it. At the time he thought he didn't like it because it was a sign of weakness and no Uchiha should ever cry on the floor, but it was still nagging at him. He brushed the thought out of his mind, but it was persistent. The plan… that snapped him out of it. How on Earth was he going to get Sasuke off of Naruto's mind. If they had just been rivals it would have been easier, but if they were lovers (as he suspected) it might be impossible.

Lovers? He lingered on the thought and it made him angry. His brother was his. Could this possibly be jealousy he was feeling? He walked past a mirror and studied his face. It was as set and bored as it always appeared. At that moment a stray servant passed by, eyes trained to the ground, and Itachi knew that anyone looking at him would never guess at the emotions that lay behind his eyes.

He arrived at his door and braced himself for what he planned to do. As he turned the knob he thought to himself 'This has been one seriously fucked up day.'

TBC


End file.
